Tagged: perspective

July 30, 2018 @ 11:00 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Earlier this month the House Financial Services Committee unveiled a new bill aimed at fostering increased private investment. The “JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018,” as the bill is titles, is actually a compilation of 32 individual bills. While the complete list of the… Read More

July 29, 2018 @ 3:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Chamber of Commerce is a powerful association and lobbying group in Washington, DC. They represent over 3 million businesses in the US from the really big ones to the corner shops. And as we all know, small business is the life blood of… Read More

July 25, 2018 @ 7:37 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

  Often repeated, but not always followed, is the advice: follow the money. Sometimes basic problems – and their solutions – are more readily understood (and solved) with this simple mantra. Effective capital markets are no exception. They demand faithful adherence to this principle. Lose… Read More

July 24, 2018 @ 5:36 pm By Yoel Goldfeder  |  

When the blockchain mania began many commentators and market participants were quick to point out the revolutionary aspects of this technology and began sounding the death knell of the traditional securities industry. They claimed that there would no longer be any need for regulation or… Read More

July 23, 2018 @ 3:01 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Former Wall Street risk analyst, avid Bitcoiner and ICO-detractor Tone Vays telecast his compelling “Inevitable ICO Bubble” talk to a crowd at the Seattle Bitcoin Meet Up last Thursday, during which he extended an olive branch to the creators of the contentious Bitcoin ‘fork,’ Bitcoin… Read More

July 22, 2018 @ 5:03 pm By Alexander Dunaev  |  

With tech titans the most valuable companies on the planet, the notion of self-regulation is no longer appropriate or fit for purpose. Is now the time for governments to step in to protect consumers and ensure a more competitive environment? The role of the technology… Read More

July 20, 2018 @ 5:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

The leading financial regulator in the United Kingdom released their annual report this week. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) tackled a wide spectrum of issues in the report including the forthcoming separation from Europe. But the FCA also addressed their ongoing intent to foster an… Read More

July 20, 2018 @ 9:21 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy, part of the House Financial Services Committee, held a hearing on the future of money that addressed the rise in prominence of cryptocurrency. While some members of Congress remain supportive of crypto and Fintech in general, others… Read More

July 20, 2018 @ 7:26 am By Tom Fortin  |  

When people hear I moved from BlackRock to Fintech iCapital Network, I see a fair number of raised eyebrows. On one hand, you have BlackRock, an established asset-management behemoth. On the other, there’s iCapital, a small, young Fintech company – so the transition seems curious… Read More

July 16, 2018 @ 9:37 am By Masha Prusakova  |  

Male and white – this was the start of the cryptocurrency world. Since the early days of cryptocurrencies, miners, and blockchain developers have been comprised of men – and today’s token projects are reflective of that gender disparity. There is a gender imbalance in the… Read More

July 13, 2018 @ 2:15 pm By Alessandro Lerro  |  

ICOs (Initial Coin Offering) have established themselves in the last year as an effective tool to finance technological start-ups, generally linked to the digital world: from January 2017 to May 2018 about 12 billion dollars were collected issuing tokens. As with more traditional equity offerings,… Read More

July 12, 2018 @ 12:00 pm By Jor Law  |  

The flight to Barbados isn’t a short one.  I left home at 5am and didn’t get into Barbados until after midnight thanks to a minor delay caused by inclement weather surrounding Miami.  I heard that it’ll take roughly 35 hours for another person who’s coming… Read More

July 11, 2018 @ 6:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) – the self regulatory organization (SRO) that oversees broker dealers and other financial firms – issued a “Regulatory Notice” on digital assets. Digital assets, as defined by FINRA, include just about anything associated with blockchain including digital assets that… Read More

July 9, 2018 @ 6:26 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC’s) “Statement of Priorities for the Financial Year to End March 31st, 2018,” provides little guidance to Ontario companies trying to advance blockchain-based financial technologies, says Toronto-based blockchain lawyer Amy ter Haar. T Though the report restates the commission’s commitment to protecting… Read More

July 6, 2018 @ 8:45 am By Cali Haan  |  

Money, “brings the best out of every individual..(and) makes the machinery work…” says famed Mexican economist and General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Agustín Carstens, but “the system is fragile” to interest rate and trade gyrations, and young people must stop printing from nothing in… Read More

July 2, 2018 @ 8:16 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

Through a triad of recent releases/interviews, the SEC has further clarified how it views the offering and sale of crypto assets. These guidance materials provide some really good insight on the SEC’s thinking with respect to its treatment of crypto assets; including some bright line… Read More

June 24, 2018 @ 1:00 pm By Zac Prince  |  

I think we can all agree that, nowadays, cryptocurrencies are never far from the news. From huge surges in value to alleged overnight crashes, Bitcoin billionaires to the rapid rise of Ether, every day seems to bring another story. As someone who works in the… Read More

June 23, 2018 @ 3:43 pm By Cali Haan  |  

At a party this Spring on the 30th floor of an apartment that overlooks Lake Ontario, an accountant said something fascinating. A majority of the recent growth in the North American economy, she claimed, had occurred mainly at the level of stock speculation. The reason… Read More

June 22, 2018 @ 6:18 pm By Lowell Putnam  |  

Warby Parker, Casper, Bonobos, Allbirds, and Glossierare some examples of an ever-growing list of consumer brands that have significantly disrupted the retail industry, largely without appearing in brick-and-mortar stores. These brands have found success using a direct-to-consumer model, meaning that they sell and market directly to consumers via technology… Read More

June 6, 2018 @ 10:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The number of Reg CF crowdfunding platforms in the US continues to slowly grow with several recent additions. Last time we reviewed the number of FINRA approved investment platforms in March, there were 38 regulated sites. So what has changed? First, to update on what… Read More